Writing in the Disciplines

Anatomy of an Assignment Sheet

In this guide, we invite instructors to think through the different sections of an assignment sheet and perhaps take a fresh look at their own assignment sheets. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find some insights into more effective assignment sheets from Writing Consultants working in the CAS Writing Center. Key Elements Things to […]

Accessible Approaches to the Writing Classroom

In order to create a truly inclusive learning environment, it’s important not to put the responsibility for determining accommodations entirely on students with disabilities, nor on Disability & Access Services. Instead, strive to be an active partner in making your classroom and the entire university more accessible. While there are always better teaching practices you […]

Leveling the Playing Field for Class Participation

In general, our writing classes are discussion classes, and students are expected to participate in active class exchanges. Sometimes, faculty may feel frustrated if discussions are slow to get started, or if students don’t speak up. This page compiles selected strategies for effectively facilitating class participation from all students. Scaffolding up front in order to build […]

Teaching the Hidden Curriculum

The term “hidden curriculum” refers to an amorphous collection of “implicit academic, social, and cultural messages,” “unwritten rules and unspoken expectations,” and “unofficial norms, behaviours and values” of the dominant-culture context in which all teaching and learning is situated. These “assumptions and expectations that are not formally communicated, established, or conveyed” stipulate the “right” way to […]

Equity in Writing Assessment: Alternative Grading Approaches

“Alternative” grading practices are becoming more and more common in the Writing Program and in the wider academic community. Departing from traditional assessment systems can allow for greater equity in a writing class, less stress for students and instructors, and more focus on course content, writing practices, and the learning process. It can also help […]

Responding to Multilingual Students’ Writing

Challenges facing multilingual writers vary widely and depend on multiple factors–such as the writers’ first language and their prior education–so responding to errors is a complex endeavor. Furthermore, some teachers might be more comfortable than others when diagnosing and discussing more technical aspects of grammar. It should therefore be kept in mind that the advice […]

Academic Integrity (Part 2): Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

Each Flipped Learning Module (FLM) is a set of short videos and online activities that can be used (in whole or in part) to free up class time from content delivery for greater student interaction. At the end of the module, students are asked to fill out a brief survey, in which we adopt the […]

Finding and Using Model Abstracts

This activity has two parts. In the first, students work at home to familiarize themselves with the form of an abstract and to write their own; in the second, students build on this homework in small groups to more closely analyze the genre. One question asks students to distinguish abstracts from introductions, which is a point of confusion […]